Kangana Ranaut cited Congress while defending Eknath Shinde
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday defended her ally and Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde over Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath's "betrayal" remark.
In an apparent jibe at Mr Shinde, the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said that in tenets of Hinduism, treachery is considered to be one of the biggest sins, and "those who betray cannot be a Hindu". He was referring to the collapse of the former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in 2022.
"We are Hindus and followers of the Sanatan Dharma that believes in 'punya' (virtue) and 'paap' (sin), wherein 'vishwasghat' (betrayal) is said to be among the biggest sins. The same happened here (in Maharashtra)," the news agency IANS quoted Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who was in Mumbai at the invitation of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, as saying.
"We told him (Mr Thackeray) how we are anguished over the betrayal done to him. Our pain will not end till he becomes the chief minister again," he said.
He said that the people of Maharashtra are also distressed by that 'betrayal', and that was proved in the outcome of the recent (Lok Sabha) elections in the state. The Opposition INDIA bloc won 30 seats - a gain of 21 - in the state, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could bag just 17, a loss of 20 over last time.
"Betrayal cannot be tolerated. Breaking a government midway in its tenure and insulting the public mandate is not acceptable. We are not concerned with politics, but Hinduism does not accept such treachery," the Shankaracharya said.
Ms Ranaut, however, backed Mr Shinde, saying "if a politician does not do politics in politics, will he sell golgappas (water balls)."
"In politics, it is very normal and constitutional to have alliances, treaties, and division of a party. Congress party was divided in 1907 and then again in 1971," the actor-turned-politician wrote on X.
"Shankaracharya ji has misused his words and his influence and religious education. Religion also says that if the king himself starts exploiting his subjects then treason is the ultimate religion," Ms Ranaut wrote in Hindi.
The newly-elected BJP MP also said Shankaracharya "has hurt the sentiments of all of us" by accusing Eknath Shinde of being "a traitor and a betrayer".
"Shankaracharya Ji is insulting the dignity of the Hindu religion by saying such petty and petty things," she said.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, which comprised the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party, fell in June 2022 after a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who went on to become chief minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party.